Sith Juggernaut Player's Guide

The Sith Juggernaut is an advanced class of the Sith Warrior. Its skill trees are Immortal, Vengeance and Rage. The Rage tree is shared with the Sith Marauder. The Sith Juggernaut is a mirror class of the Jedi Guardian. These two classes are bona fide tanks when it comes to SWTOR’s PVE, but it just so happens they work really well in PVP too. Below are the basics of each tree in the Juggernaut’s case.

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Immortal is a tanking tree with skills that debuff a target’s armor. Vengeance is a DPS tree that uses the heat from the lightsaber to burn the target over time. Meanwhile Rage is largely a PvP-centric tree that has amazing mobility capabilities. Either way you go though, the Juggernaut has some of the best survivability in the game… which means you’ll usually be the last target, so here are some ideas on how to make a mark.

Playing the Immortal Tree

Essential Skills:

Intercede: Leaps to a friendly target, reducing his or her threat by a moderate amount and reducing damage taken by 20% for 6 seconds.

Threatening Scream: Taunts all enemies within 15 meters, forcing them to attack the Warrior for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage when attacking anyone other than you. Lasts 6 seconds.

Endure Pain: Temporarily increases your maximum health by 30% for 10 seconds. When the effect ends, the health is lost.

Taunt: Taunts the target, forcing it to attack the Warrior for 6 seconds. Player targets deal 30% less damage when attacking anyone other than you. Lasts 6 seconds.

Soresu Form: Enters a defensive lightsaber form, reducing all damage taken by 6%, increasing armor rating by 60% and increasing threat generation by 50%. Soresu Form also increases shield chance by 15%. While active, taking damage builds 1 rage, but all Assault abilities generate 1 less rage. This effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

Sundering Assault: Strikes the target for damage, and reduces the target's armor by 4% for 15 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times. Builds 2 rage.

Smash: Smash up to 5 enemies within 5 meters with the Force, dealing kinetic damage. Also stuns weak and standard enemies for 1.5 seconds.

Saber Ward: Raises a lightsaber ward, increasing melee and ranged Immortal by 50% and reducing the damage taken from Force and tech attacks by 25%. Lasts 12 seconds.

Retaliation: Retaliates a parried or deflected attack, striking back at the target for weapon damage. Riposte can only be used after a successful melee or ranged defense and does not respect the global cooldown. Attacks with both weapons if dual wielding. Cannot miss, be parried or dodged.

Intimidating Roar: Paralyzes all nearby enemies in fear, preventing all action for up to 6 seconds. Damage ends the effect prematurely. Has no effect on droids.

Disruption: Smashes into the target, disrupting its current action and preventing that ability from being used for the next 4 seconds.

Call On the Force: Calls upon the Force to aid you and your companion, immediately finishing the cool down on Saber Ward and restoring 2% of maximum health every 3 seconds. Requires an active companion. Lasts 1 minute.

Unleash: Breaks you free from all incapacitating and movement-impairing effects.

Force Scream: Blasts the target with a Force-enhanced scream, dealing kinetic damage. In addition, standard and weak enemies are stunned and deafened for 4 seconds.

Force Push: Deals kinetic damage, knocks the target back several meters, and knocks the target down for 2 seconds. Immediately finishes the cool down on Force Leap.

Backhand: Backhands the target for kinetic damage, stunning it for 4 seconds. This ability generates a high amount of threat.

The Sith Juggernaut is a rather simple tank. High armor, the ability to shield attacks, and a few ways to interrupt or CC let the Juggernaut do what he was built to do. Your main two attacks are Sundering Assault and Crushing Blow, the first used to build rage, the other to use it up. What these attacks mainly do though is debuff the enemies’ armor, making them take more damage from your allies, and yourself. On top of that, Retaliate will almost always be available, providing a 6% boost to melee and ranged defense when used for 6 seconds.

It should be used often, but pay attention to your rage so you have enough left over for other emergency attacks, but if you are In Soresu form, like you should be, you shouldn't have any issues with rage. Smash and Force Scream should also be used on cool down regardless of if you are tanking a single enemy, or a whole group as the former lower their accuracy by 5% for 18 seconds and the later will give you a damage absorbing shield. Backhand, Force Push and Force Choke give you a lot of CC in situations that need it and Disruption is there for an interrupt. Intercede can also be used for an interrupt, but it's best to be kept for quick movement when needed. Your taunts are there or when you need them and you have plenty of abilities to help out your healers in the form of Endure Pain and Saber Ward. Besides the large amount of skills, playing an Immortal juggernaut is pretty easy in terms of strategy.

Playing the Vengeance Tree

Essential Skills:

Vicious Throw: Throws the main-hand lightsaber at a target, dealing energy damage. Only usable on targets at or below 20% max health.

Disruption: Smashes into the target, disrupting its current action and preventing that ability from being used for the next 4 seconds.

Force Charge: Jumps to a distant target, dealing damage with the main-hand weapon, immobilizing the target for 2 seconds and interrupting the target's current action. Builds 3 rage.

Saber Throw: Throws the main-hand lightsaber at a distant target, inflicting damage and building 3 rage.

Enrage: Immediately generates 6 rage.

Sundering Assault: Strikes the target for damage, and reduces the target's armor by 4% for 15 seconds. Stacks up to 5 times. Builds 2 rage.

Impale: Impales the target for weapon damage.

Shatter: Channels the Force into your lightsaber and crushes your target under its weight, dealing internal damage to a target afflicted by Sundering Assault, with further internal damage over 12 seconds.

Shien Form: Enters an aggressive lightsaber form, increasing all damage dealt by 6%. All attacks that cost rage will refund 1 rage when used. In addition, you generate 1 rage when attacked, but this effect cannot occur more than once every 6 seconds.

A Vengeance Juggernaut is rather simple to play. At the start of the fight and at any points where big cool downs line up using Saber Throw, Force Charge, and Enrage will max out your rage allowing you to open up with a high damage burst if needed or keep the rage high while going through your rotation on longer fights. Impale is your strongest attack followed by Shatter. Any time you are able, and when both the burn of Shatter and Impale is on cool down, Savage Kick and Pommel Strike deal very high damage. If none of those are able available Force Scream has a very high chance to crit, but doesn't deal as much damage at its base. If by chance even that is on cooldown, Smash doesn't do much damage but it is a free attack. Sundering Assault will be your main use attack however as it debuffs the enemies’ armor and grants you 3 rage. Use it on cooldown, likely every 3rd attack. When the baddies are under 20% health Vicious Throw should take priority over all.

Playing the Rage Tree

The Rage Tree is unable to tank like the Immortal tree, or deal as much damage as the Vengeance tree in PvE, but makes up for all that with its CC in PvP. It is a support tree in group situations, using taunts, slows, stuns and armor debuffs to make sure the enemy is at a disadvantage while the rest of your team uses the distractions you created to claim victory. It’s a very helpful tree to dip into if you enjoy Huttball more than anything else.